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Mitochondrial dysfunction and impaired osteogenic capacity define stress-induced osteoblast senescence

Preprint Created on 17 Sep 2026 bioRxiv

Cellular senescence has emerged as a key contributor to age-related skeletal deterioration; however, the defining characteristics of senescent osteoblasts remain incompletely understood, hindering efforts to identify the cellular mechanisms that drive age-associated bone loss and potential therapeutic targets. Here, we compared doxorubicin- and hydrogen peroxide-induced senescence and established a robust in vitro osteoblast model that enables the stable maintenance of stress-induced premature senescence. Doxorubicin-treated MC3T3-E1 cells exhibited persistent growth arrest, a pronounced senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), and impaired osteogenic function accompanied by marked mitochondrial dysfunction, including reduced respiratory capacity and altered mitochondrial morphology. Transcriptomic comparison with aged murine bone revealed a partial overlap with in vivo aging-associated gene expression signatures, particularly among genes involved in extracellular matrix organization and skeletal development, supporting the physiological relevance of the model. Importantly, key features of senescence, including the senescence-associated mitochondrial phenotype and impaired osteogenic capacity, were recapitulated in primary human osteoblasts. Collectively, these findings establish a robust model of stress-induced osteoblast senescence and demonstrate that senescent osteoblasts exhibit mitochondrial dysfunction, impaired osteogenic capacity, and molecular features that resemble aspects of skeletal aging.

Frey, T., Vogg, H., Ahmad, M., Nakano, Y., Vogel, M., Nungess, S., Schoppa, A., Geiger, H., Ignatius, A., Riegger, J.

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